WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats say before they decide whether to take part in a new investigation of Benghazi, they want assurances from House Speaker John Boehner (BAY’-nur) that the probe will be bipartisan, and not a political spectacle.

Party leaders have been meeting today with rank-and-file Democrats to decide whether to take part in what will be the eighth investigation of the assault in Libya two years ago that claimed the lives of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

After the meeting, Democratic Congressman Steve Israel of New York told reporters that if it’s a “true bipartisan inquiry,” then Democrats will participate. But he says it will be harder for Democrats to do so if “it’s engineered to be a Republican campaign strategy.”

He says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made several calls to Boehner yesterday that went unanswered.

Democrats are concerned that taking part in the Republican-led special committee will give legitimacy to what they think will be a partisan forum. But they’re also worried that if they avoid it, they won’t have a chance to respond to Republican claims, and to defend witnesses.

Democrat Gerry Connolly of Virginia says sentiment among Democrats is shifting toward participating — but that they want to know the “rules of engagement” first.

%@AP Links

059-a-07-(House Speaker John Boehner (BAY’-nur), R-Ohio, during debate Thursday)-“wouldn’t find it”-House Speaker John Boehner accuses the White House of hiding information from congressional investigators looking into the Benghazi attack. (9 May 2014)

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064-a-11-(Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., during debate Thursday)-“no. they don’t”-New York Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter says she believes Republican lawmakers are renewing an investigation into the Benghazi attack to help raise money for the party. (9 May 2014)

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APPHOTO DCJM101: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, center, arrives for a House Democratic caucus where the agenda includes discussing whether they should participate in the Benghazi committee, Friday, May 9, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington. To congressional Republicans, “Benghazi” is shorthand for incompetence and cover-up. Democrats hear it is as the hollow sound of pointless investigations. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (9 May 2014)

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APPHOTO WX105: Speaker of the House John Boehner is asked about the special select committee he has formed to investigate the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, raising the stakes in a political battle with the Obama administration as the midterm election season heats up, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 8, 2014. To congressional Republicans, “Benghazi” is shorthand for incompetence and cover-up. Democrats hear it is as the hollow sound of pointless investigations. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (8 May 2014)

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